The Lions of Al-Rassan

By Guy Gavriel Kay

Hauntingly evocative of medieval Spain, a deeply compelling story of love, adventure, divided loyalties, and what happens when beliefs begin to remake – or destroy – a world.

The ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings. King Almalik of Cartada is on the ascendancy, aided always by his friend and advisor, the notorious Ammar ibn Khairan – poet, diplomat, soldier – until a summer afternoon of savage brutality changes their relationship forever.

Meanwhile, in the north, the conquered Jaddites' most celebrated – and feared – military leader, Rodrigo Belmonte, driven into exile, leads his mercenary company south.

In the dangerous lands of Al-Rassan, these two men from different worlds meet and serve – for a time – the same master. Tangled in their interwoven fate – and divided by her feelings – is Jehane, the accomplished court physician, whose skills may not be enough to heal the coming pain as Al-Rassan is swept to the brink of holy war, and beyond.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Aug 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9780007352227

Guy Gavriel Kay

Guy Gavriel Kay was born and raised in Canada. He lives in Toronto, although he does most of his writing in Europe. His novels include ‘The Fionavar Tapestry’ trilogy (described by ‘Interzone’ as ‘the only fantasy work… that does not suffer by comparison with ‘The Lord of the Rings’), ‘Tigana’ and ‘A Song for Arbonne’.

Reviews for The Lions of Al-Rassan

[nnschiller · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another reread of an absolute favorite.

I could write reams, but really I love this book too much to really offer any kind of evaluation. It is lovely, powerful, moving, beautiful, human, and very sad.

I get an idea of what the perfect novel might be in its pages.

After 5-10 rereads over the years, I still adore it and still see new things in its pages.

The carnival sequence in Ragosa (written w/ Sarajevo in the 80-90s in mind) still rings astonishingly true about culture clash.

[jsburbidge · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Lions of Al-Rassan is Kay's first book in the Jaddite / Sarantine parallel world. (Although the calqued-onto-history method is similar in Tigana and A Song For Arbonne, they take place in different worlds. References to Fionavar, which is the base of all parallel worlds including our own do get into every book.)It parallels the story of El Cid and the Reconquista in Iberia, but uses the freedom of alternative history to provide minor divergences, and, as in all of his works along these lines, his real focus is on the personal lives of his central characters, and with the ways in which minor chance occurrences or decisions can shape later great events.If Tigana is about identity and liberty, and the costs they incur, this is about the tensions between tolerance and allegiance, and how personal loves and friendships cut across them.He gets the balance right overall here, and with more focus than in the later and more ambitious Sarantine Mosaic.He has been criticized for the use of "manipulative" narrative tricks to engage the reader emotionally. I see the tricks, but I don't think of them as major flaws so much as shorthand, the activity of an occasionally intrusive narrator in a literary world where intrusive narration is less popular than it used to be.This is an excellent place to start with Kay, as it provides context for his later books set in the same world. (There is a minor thread in the Sarantine Mosaic which will have more significance of one has read this first.)

[amberthehuman · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

My friends are kind enough to continue giving me books as gifts despite the fact that I am terrible about getting around to reading them. But eventually I do! I wasn't sure what to expect from a fantasy novel when Sam gifted me her favorite book. At first I was a little shocked by the graphicness of the descriptions of the raids ... but I got over it and enjoyed the book. It's well written and epic without being too epic - you're able to keep track of the characters and where they are. Big shout out to Sam - and to Laura, when do I get it back?

[kwarizmi-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

You will fall in love with one of the characters in this book. I absolutely guarantee it. The only question is, with whom?

Will it be with the flamboyant Ammar ibn Khailan, poet, spymaster, kingslayer, warrior? With Jehane, strong and stubborn doctor? Perhaps with Miranda, so beautiful and queenly even when managing a horse ranch? Or with proud Rodrigo, the Scourge of Al-Rassan, brave, virtuous, faithful?

Or will it be with one of the minor characters? Starstruck Alvar, alluring Zabira, the wise Ishak or his loving wife? Perhaps you'll be won over by Lain an his cheerful blasphemies, the twins Diego with his strange gift and Fernan with his filial devotion, or by Queen Ines' and her domineering passions?

I had never read anything by Guy Gavriel Kay, only knew him as the hand behind "The Silmarillion". He is a master storyteller, a world-weaver like few others, and his skillful pen draws for us characters we would love to share a meal, a bed, a life, a world with.

In the end, this book is a sad one, an evocation of how when the world turns, some rise up while others must be ground down. Al-Rassan renews itself, leaving behind its old skin, and in doing so, reveals that it is much too small for four people of such heroic proportions. The people you fall in love with die in this book, and it's not suprising.... what is is that it is so very hard to let go.

I will return to al-Rassan one day, no doubt about it. Do yourself a favor and read this book NOW.

[trouthe-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An excellent fantasy novel of a very thinly disguised Reconquest of Spain, dealing with the ties of loyalty and love across the peoples of the peninsula, and the tensions war and honor place upon them.

My only real issue is that I despise concealing what happened only to reveal it ten pages later once you've drawn it out long enough. Seriously, it ruined the ending for me.

[dinadansfriend · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm a fan of El Cid, so this fantasy is harmonious with some of my day-dreams. The Map is a serious drawback, as the peninsula is not, I believe conducive to developing the societies in the story. but Kay wries well and the result is a second-class work compared to "the Last Light of the Sun" , "Under heaven" or the Sarantium books. It is still worth the money to most readers.

[traciinaz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've heard great things about this author and it looks like they were all true.

[janerawoof · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A big disappointment after other Kay I've read and really liked. Fantasy take on Muslim and Christian medieval Spain, with a Jewish heroine.

[kgodey_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Guy Gavriel Kay is one of the most consistently praised fantasy authors; for instance, Brandon Sanderson calls him the “the greatest living author of epic fantasy“. I had read the first Fionavar Tapestry book, THE SUMMER TREE, but I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about – I thought it seemed like a cross between a more adult Narnia and The Wheel of Time (“Tapestry” instead of “Pattern”). I figured I should give him another shot though, and I’m glad I did, because now I understand, and only the pile of unread books in the house is keeping me from buying his entire bibliography right now.THE LIONS OF AL-RASSAN is set in the equivalent of the Iberian peninsula in the era of Moorish Spain. The Asharite city-states of the south and the Jaddite kingdoms of the north have had a tenuous peace despite their religious differences, but the winds are changing. Rodrigo Belmonte, the celebrated Jaddite captain, and Ammar ibn Khairan, the notorious right-hand man of the Asharite King Almalik of Cartada both find themselves driven away from their countries, and end up in the same city. Jehane, a Kindath physician, finds that her life is increasingly interwoven with theirs, as the world that she knows slowly begins to fall apart around her.Despite being set in a secondary world, THE LIONS OF AL-RASSAN is clearly meant to evoke history – the names of the countries are different, and the religions are based on the celestial bodies of their world – but the map of the world is the same, and the Asharites, Jaddites, and Kindath represent the Muslims, Christians, and Jews, respectively. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that at first, but it’s a brilliant way for the author to take readers into how it felt like to live in that world without having to be too closely tied to historical accuracy.Rodrigo Belmonte and Ammar ibn Khairan are the heart and soul of this book. They’re from very different worlds, but have a lot in common – both are larger than life, principled, intelligent, compassionate – heroes that actually deserve their reputation. When they finally meet, the world itself shivers a little bit. We see their story play out from many points of view, but the most important (and third protagonist) is Jehane, who is exceptional in her own right, but not as relevant to history. These three break the barriers of faith and country to develop an enduring friendship, but even the greatest of men are just men, and cannot resist the inexorable pressure of history waiting to be made.The characterization of this book is exemplary – I’ve already talked about Rodrigo and Ammar a little bit, but Kay takes what would have been trite and cloying in less subtle hands and makes you truly believe in their legend. They’re not flawless – Rodrigo is somewhat reckless, and Ammar is a master of manipulation, but they still manage to make you believe in the ultimate goodness of humanity. I loved Jehane – the book blurb describes her as “increasingly torn by her feelings” which made me dread some sort of love triangle, but thankfully there’s none of that – she’s capable, intelligent, mature, and extremely skilled at what she does. I was pleasantly surprised to find that she’s also fully in control of her own sexuality. The supporting characters were fantastic, too – Alvar, one of Rodrigo’s young soldiers who gradually opens his eyes to the complexities of the world around him, and Rodrigo’s long-suffering, loving, and frankly, impressive wife Miranda were two of my favourites.One of the biggest themes in this book is conflicting loyalties – to king, country, church, and family/friends. Rodrigo and Ammar are exiled by their respective monarchs, but they still don’t lose their love for where they’re from. Alvar loves where he’s from, but when he realizes what the world is actually like, he makes very different choices from what he would have imagined when setting out as a young soldier. Ramiro’s wife, Ines, is loyal to her god and her church, but that is tested when it endangers her country. Even the Belmonte’s cleric, Ibero, makes a terrible choice, and ends up regretting it dearly. Many of the choices made could have almost gone the other way, and are sometimes influenced by almost-random events (like Ramiro’s decision after the meeting with his fellow Espereñan monarchs) and it ends up making the coming war and its effects seem even more tragic.Kay is an incredible writer – he uses the common themes of honor, loyalty, and sacrifice but elevates them to a whole different level – I thought I was beyond being moved by those things. He’s also tricky sometimes; there are several scenes in which you think you know exactly what’s going on but his cunning phrases and slight omissions mean that what actually happens is a complete surprise. The scene at the end of the Carnival in Ragosa, and the epilogue are two examples. I don’t think I could read his books all in a row if they’re all this intense, but I’m so glad I have them to look forward to.I could keep going on, but I don’t think I could convey any better how amazing THE LIONS OF AL-RASSAN is, so I’ll stop here. I highly recommend it, I think it’s one of the masterpieces of fantasy.

[carol_w-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After River of Stars, I felt I had to read another work by Kay to see how much of the first was unique to that book. I think I now have a good feel for Kay. He starts with historical settings, but then creates his own world based on them. You can’t even call this an alternate history. Cleary this book is based on medieval Spain in the time El Cid, with its clash of peoples from three major religions, but instead of Christians, Muslims, and Jews, he calls them Jadists, Asharites, and Kindrath, and they worship sun, stars, and moons (there are two), respectively. Similarly, all of the city names are his inventions. I didn’t even try to match up his places with sites on the Iberian Peninsula.Kay's writing is very impressive in that he can make the events of people’s lives feel really significant almost no matter what they are. The three central characters in this story, one woman and two men, are all extraordinary people and the events they live through in this book are unquestionably of great significance to them. When all is said and done, though, this story is really just a mirror for the Christian re-conquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslims who had conquered it centuries before – with Jews caught in the middle. Even though I wasn’t sure exactly what had happened at the end until the last few pages, there was still a certain inevitability about the whole thing. It’s not a “good” ending, certainly not a happy ending for all involved, but Kay makes it feel like a necessary ending. It was the power of his writing that held me through to the conclusion of this glorious train-wreck.Really, what this book is about is honor and integrity on the one hand and friendship, love and beauty on the other, and how the first sometimes necessitates the destruction of the second.

[pwaites_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Lions of Al-Rassan is hard to describe. It’s usually classed as a fantasy, sometimes an epic fantasy more often as a historical fantasy, which is probably the best name for it. I.e. there’s no magic or dragons or unusual world building. Instead, it’s an alternate version of the reconquest of Spain. The names and theology of the religions have been changed, but it’s very obvious which ones are the equivalents for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.Against this background, there are an almost overwhelming number of characters. Luckily, the book comes with a character guide at the beginning – you’ll need it. Three characters really stand out: Ammar ibn Khairan, Rodrigo Belmonte, and Jehane bet Ishak. Each of these three characters comes from a different faith and culture, yet their fates become intertwined. Ammar is the chief adviser of the king of Cartada in Al-Rassan until a day of savagery changes everything. Rodrigo is the most famous military leader of Vallado, one of the three northern Jaddite (Christian) kingdoms. Jehane is a woman in a man’s world, a accomplished physician of the Kindath (Jewish) faith.This is what I find The Lions of Al-Rassan does best – taking these disparate characters and weaving together their friendship. However, with the Iberian peninsula on the brink of Holy War, nothing can stay unchanged. The ending wasn’t completely tragic, but I can’t call it happy either.The Lions of Al-Rassan is slow to start out. Yes, things are happening, but there’s not a feeling of overwhelming urgency until four hundred pages in. That, along with the hoard of character’s, is the flaw of the book. It’s not an easy read – you will have to dedicate your time and your attention. However, if you’re prepared for a book that requires some brain power and if you have a passing interest in history or historical fiction, you will find The Lions of Al-Rassan worthwhile.

[shanaqui_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I expected to love The Lions of Al-Rassan. After all, it's Guy Gavriel Kay, and my mother wept for hours over the ending. I have to say I didn't cry, but I came close.

In terms of plot, this is again one of his semi-historical ones, and again, I don't know the time period very well at all. I think it'd probably help if I did: with this one, I just had to keep pushing through my confusion to grasp what was going on -- not that that was a hardship. I've found that even if you don't quite know what's going on at first, if you just hang on and pay attention to all the details, it'll be fine. There's no problem with his world-building, even without knowing the world he's trying to match. One thing I did notice in this book was long stretches of narrative in which events are described, but without close attention to what exactly is going on. If there'd been a bit less of that, I might have felt closer to the characters and less disconnected from the plot.

Something new I noticed, in this one, was his way of hiding what is actually happening. Several times somebody dies, and he misleads you as to who for several pages, and then suddenly it's revealed, and it's not who you were expecting. That got a little irritating, to be honest.

Character-wise, again, GGK is wonderful. I always care about his characters -- rarely so much as the characters in the Fionavar Tapestry books, but that's largely due to how much building up can be done in three books, I think. In this book, he really hurts you with that. The special thing for me was the complex, strange relationship between Ammar and Rodrigo. I half-expected them to kill each other, at the very end, thanks to what Ammar -- I think -- said to Rodrigo when they fought side-by-side: "Shall we kill each other for them now, to set a seal on it?" That would have had a certain rightness to it.

I'm not sure I agree with the people who say this is his best book, but it's certainly a good one and I'm very likely to come back to it, and no doubt I'll love it even more the second time.

[fireweaver_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kay obviously and lovingly researches history in depth before sitting down to write a book - for those unfamiliar with him, his thing is writing vast epics that take place in a nearly recognizable medieval Europe. sometimes, he gets bogged down in the details, and those epics sag in places.

this is not that book.

'lions' tells a tale that's akin to the Spanish catholic war against the moors, full of domed cities, rich wine, and masked carnivale. the action starts off with a swiftly imperiled herioine (a skilled doctor, no shrinking damsel in distress here!), and proceeds to race at breakneck speed all over the map of the not-Iberian peninsula. the dreams of kings and horsemen alter the course of nations, and in a neat trick, you're rooting for everyone: just like in real life, there is no moustache-twirling super villain, simply people trying to live their lives as best they can. the greatest warrior in this world considers himself a poet before anything else, so all the action is balanced by quiet moments of beauty just as breathtaking as the battle carnage.

lovely, and highly recommended.

[suzemo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is easily one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read.

Kay loves his alternative historical fantasy story lines, and while you could question how fantasy this really is, there is no doubt that this is definitely alternative history.

(Loosely) Set in Moorish Spain, it revolves around three characters, each belonging to one of the three major faiths in the land and explores attitudes within and between beliefs, the use of religion, intra-personal relationships and conflicts. Kay clearly loves his history and clearly researches his subjects, and goes into great detail without getting too weighted in boring events. He keeps this book fast, very fast, without sacrificing the soul of the story or the characters in it.

[bunwat_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a sweepingly, fulsomely, voluptuously bromantic fantasy novel. Its Laurence of Arabia and The Song of Roland and Ivanhoe set in an alternate Reconquista Spain with a few extra suns in the sky. If you can let go and just roll with it, this will speak to the ten year old within you, the one that ran up a hill waving a stick and yelling for death and glory.

Personally I'm not a huge fan of epic fantasy, I often find it pompous and tiresome. It tends to be pretty humorless and I am massively irritated by the uncritical glorification of warrior aristocracies. The general failure to acknowledge in any meaningful way that these people are a tiny miniscule fraction of their society dominating but entirely dependent on a gigantic support system of people growing crops and birthing babies and building houses and weaving cloth and twisting rope and sailing and fishing and baking and - you know, actually doing the necessary work of the world - that kind of makes me crazy too.

But. If and to the extent I can leave that aside, there's good stuff here. Its grand operatic emotions, its glory and honor and the tragic passing of an age, loss and love and friendship and I can go with it for about an hour before the combined weight of all the stuff I have to ignore to believe just gathers into an enormous wave and comes crashing down on my head and smacks me out of the spell. But while it lasts, its a fairly glorious hour.

So if that's your kind of thing, this is a good one.

[clong_818048 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I just finished rereading this for an online book discussion group, and I have to say that it remains one of my all time favorite fantasies. I find The Lions of Al-Rassan deeply moving, tragic yet affirming. It's a story about tolerance and civilization. And about duty. It has moments of humor, moments when the characters savor life and love and friendship. And it offers frequent reminders of the cost of success in war and internecine political machinations.I find the characters strong and likable, and I enjoy seeing these characters grow and change. I think that one of the advantages of this genre is you can create a character like Jehane and not have to worry about whether she would be profoundly anachronistic in a historical fiction setting. It's a long book, but I think the pacing is tight. Each section feels necessary and the overarching storyline is well structured. And yet each individual scene also feels finely wrought. Characters say and do things and then have to live with unexpected consequences. The book made me curious about the history of Moorish Spain, the history of Jews therein, El Cid, etc.The second someone-died-but-I-am-not-going-to-tell-you-who-it-is-yet cliffhanger felt a bit manipulative, but I suppose I can see a reason for it. Something along the lines that this moment is the closing of a window of opportunity for a better world, a tragedy for this land regardless of which of them died (although of course for the two principals and those who love them it matters quite a bit).I can see why some might have trouble with the treatment of religion in this book. Again, I think that setting this in a fantasy world rather than historical fiction makes it easier for Kay to delve into this area.

[brenzi_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My second foray into the historical fantasy genre has only gone to show that you (or, more specifically, I) never know what genres are lurking out there that you (I) are going to fall in love with. Another homerun by Guy Gavriel Kay has made that plain to me. The fact that this really closely resembles historical fiction, a genre near and dear to my heart, certainly helps. It really has everything: many threaded plotlines, complex characters, heroes and villains, romance and, for those blood-thirsty fans, violence, all blended beautifully by the hand of a master writer. I may have a small quibble with the twisting turning, slightly saccharine ending but I was sobbing uncontrollably by that point so it hardly matters.If you refer to the map at the beginning of the book you’ll see something that a very amateurish sixth grader might have drawn when attempting to draw the Iberian Peninsula. And of course you will never have heard of any of the places indicated on the map. This is the fantasy. This country, while it doesn’t actually exist, shares some historical attributes with Spain in medieval times. And just to assist you to figure out who’s who the author provides a helpful playbill listing all the main characters and their alliances. It’s basically a story about a country’s history, and its people who, over hundreds of years have fought in brutal wars and lost so much for the things they hold dearest. For now, the thing they hold dearest is the piety that has been destroyed over the years by outlaw kings. So once again, the warring is on. Ammar ibn Khairan, poet, diplomat, soldier, is fighting for King Almalik of Cartadan until things go horribly wrong. Rodrigo Belmonte, feared military leader from a northern Jaddite nation, also finds himself driven into exile following the death of the king he loved. The two join forces, if temporarily, to fight for another nation. Accompanying them is the lovely and accomplished court physician Jehane---do you see where I’m going here? And do you also see that there’s something for everyone in the wonderfully fulfilling history of a proud people?Now I’m thinking I must try that other genre: straight fantasy. I won’t have much trepidation this time. Who knows, with all this exploration of new-to-me genres could it be possible that I might one day try out that formerly anathema-to-me genre---chick lit? Is it possible that there’s something to be said for it after all? On second thought, I don’t want to act as if I’ve completely lost my mind ;-)

[faganjc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A perfect triumvirate of protagonists, with a terrific female lead. Like Sarantine mosaic, again, the three-dimensional development of characters' spirituality (or lack thereof) is so impressive. Lots of action. I was surprised I rated this book five stars and Sarantine Mosaic 4.5. I enjoyed Sarantine more. However, I think this is the book I will read again in several years. It's not done with me yet.I would buy and read an entire book of Immar's poetry, and that's saying something.

[sarbow · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

this is my favourite of GGK's books. In his usual style, GGK draws on actual history and imports it into his own world. His history is well researched and his world very real.

[stephenbarkley · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What do you get when you cram three religions into one peninsula? The Lions of Al-Rassan, of course. Guy Gavriel Kay has created three interesting religions based loosely on Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The book covers a number of decades as the land trades hands between the religious groups.As the page count increased, I felt like I had read this book before (even though I had not). Many of the popular themes in Kay’s books are evident here. During a representative sword fight between two armies, I couldn’t shake the feeling I had returned to Arbonne. The sparse narration of decades of history following the climax of the human story foreshadowed his masterful use of the technique in Under Heaven.I found this to be an average outing for Kay. (Of course, an average day for Kay is the highlight of many other writers!) The sheer volume of descriptive prose often overwhelmed the narrative. His sparse use of fantastical elements felt like a purposeless deus ex machina.If you’re new to Kay, there are many better places to start: The Fionavar Tapestry or Under Heaven for example. This novel felt more like a dress rehearsal.

[shelterdowns · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A heartening brew-- The first feat of inquisition, the doom of a race, and the providence guarding two matchless warriors, tipped together into a pot of spice and brought to a-boiling. The final product is wicked and cunning, with all the fey pattern-weaving, taut action, and maddening suspense we expect from historical fantasy's greatest writer. As an added bonus, we are introduced to one of the genre’s supreme female leads. Kay has written as well since, but never better.

[ceridwynr · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is not one of my favourites of his novels - I think because he doesn't quite hit the mythic arc as beautifully as he does in 'Tigana' and the 'Fionnavar Tapestry', but it's still rather wonderful and I cry at the bit with the twin boys in trouble even more now I have a son. Also, it's very nice to have a love triangle where all three sides are strong.

[trinibaby9 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A lesson in the fact that whatever our religions or convictions we are first and foremost human beings. There are bad people of every faith all over the world, however this does not mean we should judge a whole group of people by these individuals. In this novel Kay shows that however hard it may be to look past the bad, we must focus on the good. A moving story, richly depicting the nuances and consequences of war and religion.

[jim53_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kay is one of my favorite authors. Lions exemplifies most of the things I love about his novels: carefully drawn characters who interact in credible ways, and whose self-awareness enables the author to tell us a lot about what they are thinking and feeling; lovely prose; a story that puts interesting people into situations that require them to make difficult choices, and makes it easy for us to care what they choose. The book also reflects the flaws that affect all his work: he's a bit too much in love with his cleverness, and when he grabs hold of a theme, he tends to flog us with it. Here is is concerned with the nature of disguises and mistaken or unclear identity. He uses this to great effect in some scenes (e.g., the tragic death of a loyal and attractive character), but ruins the effect by overusing it in the epilogue. In spite of this flaunting, the book is a wonderful story. Kay has clearly done extensive research into the history and cultures of medieval Spain, and he draws representatives of the thinly veiled (sorry!) Catholic, Muslim, and Jewish communities very nicely. He looks at what happens when we care too much about our cultures, and too little. None of the groups get a free pass when it comes to avarice, cruelty, and violence, but each shows its virtues as well. A nice, and characteristic, pairing of passages in which first an Arab leader and then a Catholic king pray for the same things is a good example of both his intention and his technique.Ammar ibn Khairan, one of the triad of lead characters (another Kay staple), is wonderfully drawn, but still I sense that Kay didn't quite "catch" him. I suspect that Kay identifies with Ammar to an extent, probably moreso than any of his other characters except Crispin the crabby artisan. A poet as well as a diplomat, soldier, connoisseur of fine things, Ammar is a Renaissance man. He is a great character in that we have trouble deciding what to think of him; we see why he does most things, but still we may not approve of everything he does.There is very little reason to call this book a fantasy; the only elements that are not completely realistic are the second moon and the psychic gift of one young man. Kay has established himself as a fine writer of historical romances, with differing amounts of magic or fantastic elements. This one has some transcendent moments and Kay's signature inevitable heart-wrenching tragedy. I think it was a step beyond his prior works in terms of literary craftmanship, and I'm not sure he has bettered it since.

[tadad_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Like his The Last Light of the Sun, this is a fantasy story that reads exactly like historical fiction...the only difference being that the history isn't real. The setting is the thinly-disguised Iberian peninsula during the 13th century as the Jaddites (Christians) attempt to break the Asharite (Moorish) caliphate, with the Kindath (Jews) watching and knowing that "whichever way the wind blows, rain falls on the Kindath."I don't think this is his best book, but I also think that second-rank G. G. Kay is better than most of the other stuff out there and well worth the time to read. When it comes to simply writing beautiful language, his ability to draw moments and evoke emotions particularly appeals to my tastes.The story line is well done—intelligent, intriguing, colorful—with all of the characteristic Kay bittersweet resolutions. It also is typical of his work in not glossing over the brutal realities of war, rape, murder and torture. The political and religious machinations which form the basis of the story are well-described and you find yourself actually taking sides and caring about the results.What set this book a notch down from his best was, in my opinion, the characters. They are just a little too weakly separated from the "consummate general", "beautiful maiden", "cultured warrior-poet" archetypes. As a result, while I did like them and did care for them a bit, I was less involved with them than I have been in other books of his. A death was sad, not a wrench at my emotions. Kay's writing covers this to a great extent when I compare this book in my mind to another author, but it shows when I compare it to his other works.Also, I could have done without the poetry—suffice it to say that ibn Khairan is portrayed as the greatest poet of the Asharite world...and G. G. Kay is not.

[mohi_11 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fantasy story that is heavily based on Andalusian Spain under Muslim rule. An original take that manages to go beyond its novelty to present a very solid story of war, love, trust, and friendship under the fire of cultural differences.

[aerrin99 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Guy Gavriel Kay writes with gorgeous prose that fleshes out fantastically interesting characters and worlds. His al-Rassan is a place you can almost breathe in, and I enjoyed being there. Unfortunately, I also find his pacing clunky, his plot ofttimes confusing, and his ability to draw you into the world without feeling like you've been thrown into the ocean and expected to swim toward the right shore completely absent. I spent the first hundred pages of this book deeply confused by the landscape, characterscape, and politicalscape. And then when I got my footing, the writing kept swerving and twisting. I don't mean that the /plot/ did - the plot did just fine. But Kay has a trick where he thinks he's ridiculously clever by constantly, repeatedly, consistently having a SHOCKING EVENT happen, written in such a way that you think you know what the event is and who it involved. And then twenty pages later he OH SO CLEVERLY reveals that one or the other was wrong, and he's been misleading you! This whole time!I like my authors clever. But I'd prefer them to tell me a story rather than playing games with me, especially to this degree. I spent a lot of time frustrated by this book, and flipping forward and backward to try to understand things. It might seem odd that I rated it so high, I suppose. The truth of it is that I'm a reader who reads for characters and Kay's are absolutely lovely. We'll call my relationship with this book 'love-hate', I suppose. I suspect it re-reads far better than it reads.

[xicanti_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful, heart-wrenching novel set in an analogue of medieval Spain. Kay focuses on three main protagonists as he chronicles the beginnings of a holy war.Some time ago, I decided to read everything Kay had ever written. I chose to save this one for next-to-last because so many people told me it was his best work. While I got a lot out of it, I wouldn't mark it was my favourite. (It's tied for third place; still not such a bad ranking). The things I loved here were the same things I love in all his other books: the wonderfully complex, relatable characters; the well-developed setting; the powerful emotional impact; and the skillfully-written action. Likewise, the things that didn't work for me were the same as always: there were a few scenes where the story drifted somewhat, causing my attention to wane. My favourite parts were definitely those bits in which the three leads interacted. I got an excellent sense of how they felt about one another, and really wished those scenes had been more frequent.That aside, though, this was a very good read. One thing that Kay does particularly well, here and in his other books, is draw the action out to create suspense. Several other reviewers have mentioned the epilogue, but there are many other scenes that work along the same lines. Kay throws out a shocker - usually, but not always, a death - in such a way that the reader is almost certain to draw the wrong conclusion. He slowly introduces other key details that seem to support the original assumption... but all of a sudden, some new point shatters everything and reveals that nothing is as the reader thought it was. Kay does this extremely well; I often had to force myself to read more slowly so I wouldn't miss anything important, so desperate was I to see my worst fears confirmed or denied. Admittedly, this plot device wouldn't be at all effective in a less emotionally charged work; it really demands that the reader be involved with the story in a passionate sense rather than a logical one. Luckily, that's the case here and elsewhere. This is evidently a technique Kay is fond of, and nowhere does he use it so well as in The Lions of Al-Rassan.So I highly recommend this book. As others have said before me, read it. It's well worth your time.

[roylin_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was recommended by a friend who is an avid fantasy reader. I gave it a try. I found it excellent. Great, engaging and fully realized characters and a relevant theme: Religion, and how it is manipulated for people's own end and how fundamentalism of either side leads to conflict....that's how I viewed it anyway. Great book.

[orien_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I struggled a bit to get into this book.

The author used words beautifully--the story was really very well written. The characters were well fleshed out, and I fell in love with them. I liked how the author wrote strong, capable female characters, and there was some humor injected in the story in a few places...but it just wasn't my thing.

It was too...political for my taste. It followed the events leading up to a great war, and I've never really liked those fantasy books that focused on warring nations etc. etc.

The author has a way of drawing out suspense during pivotal moments in the book, which can sometimes get annoying. I am an impatient person, and I found myself rushing through certain boring portions in order to find out what the hell happened, or what the results of a certain battle was.

It was still a good read, though.